Record High Temperature in East Iceland

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Record High Temperature in East Iceland

A new record was set in Iceland when on December 29 the temperature in Skjaldþingsstaðir in Vopnafjörður, East Iceland, reached 16ºC (60.8ºF). It was the warmest temperature in Iceland between Christmas and New Year’s Day since records began, according to the Icelandic Met Office.

December was cold in Southwest Iceland but the temperature was above the average for 1961-1990 in other parts of the country, although below the average for the past ten years for Iceland overall.

There was also more snow than usual in Iceland in December. There was snow on the ground in Reykjavík 25 days last month, well above the average for 1971-2000 of 13 days. In Akureyri, North Iceland, there was snow on the ground for 28 days of the month, six more than the average.